Like any economic activity, aquaculture has an impact on the environment. This depends on the quality of management of the activity, the suitability of the location and the production system. When properly managed, aquaculture can also be a method of protein production with a lower carbon and environmental footprint than other types of farming. Furthermore, certain forms of aquaculture (e.g. mollusc farming, aquaculture in ponds and wetlands, and the farming of algae and other invertebrates), when appropriately managed, can offer many ecosystem services. These services include the absorption of excess nutrients and organic matter from the environment or the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity.
EU environmental legislation and implementing national legislation have set the regulatory framework for EU aquaculture that ensures the mitigation of the impact that aquaculture activities may have on the environment (be it in terms of carbon footprint, effluents, waste or other impacts on marine and freshwater ecosystems), and that aquaculture activities do not significantly harm ecosystems or biodiversity.
The environmental performance of the EU aquaculture sector can nevertheless be further improved by: (i) ensuring that environmental legislation is fully applied and its objectives are met; (ii) further mitigating the impact of aquaculture; and (iii) promoting aquaculture with lower environmental impact and aquaculture that provides ecosystem services.
The ‘Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030’ aim to improve the environmental performance of the aquaculture sector by further limiting the impact of aquaculture, as well as promoting the types of aquaculture that are most beneficial for the environment and the climate such as low trophic aquaculture and organic aquaculture.